AN URGENT community meeting will be held in Miles next Wednesday to inform residents about a potentially catastrophic weed outbreak in Dogwood Creek. The Miles community will learn the best ways to tackle the noxious Salvinia molesta weed infestation in the creek – the town’s drinking water supply. READ MORE

For years, the towns have tried organic options, such as harvesting, suction harvesting and benthic mats, to control the weeds. But emphasizing the costs and pervasiveness of the weeds, members of Monday’s discussion explored the possibility of studying the use of herbicides in the lake or dredging parts of it.READ MORE

SAN FRANCISCO — A federal district court approved a settlement today requiring the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to better protect California red-legged frogs from seven common pesticides known to be highly toxic to amphibians. The settlement gives the agency two years to prepare “biological opinions” under the Endangered Species Act to analyze pesticide use in and near the frog’s aquatic and upland habitats.READ MORE

Two species of Elodea, aquatic plants commonly known as Canadian and Nuttall’s waterweed, have been found in recent years in a handful of lakes and sloughs near Fairbanks, Anchorage, Cordova, and Kenai.READ MORE

LAKE PLACID — A majority of the Lake June property owners at a meeting held by Florida’s Fish and Wildlife Commission Wednesday were angry, suspicious and demanding of action. The meeting was about an outbreak of Illinois pondweed along the lake shore.READ MORE